Journey
by TheAnimeWriterLover
Summary: It was a long journey for one that is a Dragonborn. For one Persephone, she didn't enjoy it. But there was no denying that she gained a lot after losing the life she knew previously. What is one more thing to gain? At least she might have love to add to the growing list.


**_Fun Fact:_**_ I named the Dragonborn Persephone after the Greek Goddess. This is because in the game I have two female characters that I named Athena and Artemis after the Goddesses. So, I decided to keep up with the 'tradition'. I'm thinking about making extra chapters/stories for this couple (with this specific Dragonborn), but I'm not sure. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy the story!_

Persephone did not enjoy being the Dragonborn. Never had she thought that, one day, she'd be declared as one. Not when she was only a little girl, sitting on her grandfather's knee as he told the stories. Not when she, with glee and peace, tend to the farm and the earth below. As a Nord, her blood sung for a different life. A harsher one, where fighting took place. However, her heart was never into it, as she loathed to kill anything unnecessarily. Tending the earth has always brought peace that quietened her Nordic blood.

Before being captured, Persephone was content with her life. Why fight when you have everything you need around you? Nature was never far away, thus food and water followed suit. She had a roof over her head and fire to keep her warm. Family, friends and the community were one. Laughter was part of the day. Everybody worked together and hard. No, they weren't exactly found on the map nor were they significant to Skyrim, but they were fine with that.

So, imagine her surprise when she stumbled upon a Stormcloaks camp by accident. With an additional misfortunate of the Imperials showing up at the same time, killing most during the fight and capturing the rest. Unfortunately, that included her. Before she could try to explain or run away, she got knocked unconscious by one of the Imperials. Next thing she knew, she woke up in a carriage with two other Stormcloaks (one was _the _Ulfric) and a horse thief.

Fun…

Persephone, to this day, missed her old life. She has long since accepted the fact that there was no chance of ever going back to it. This Dragonborn business has gone on for too long and too many people know of her. A peaceful life was nothing more than a dream. Now, it doesn't mean that she has grown to enjoy this life. It was quite the opposite. She still didn't like going out there, where she had to fight, kill and ransack, to name a few. On one hand, it for means of survival and to find a way to earn money. Then there were the people that ran to her all the time for help.

It was a wonder that she found the time to end up with the Companions. Among all the chaos, the group became a second family to her. They didn't demand much of her. The only thing Persephone needed from them at the start was to learn how to fight properly. For the most part, they didn't push for information about her life. The leader at the time, Kodlak, was the only one that knew of her status. He pardoned her when she needed to leave for her 'duties' and didn't return for weeks.

Damn, she missed the old man. One of the few leaders that saw her as a person and not some creature that had to do as told. Still, why in the world had he chosen her to be the next Harbinger, she never understood. Not even when he gave a short explanation before his spirit passed on. With his death it came out that she was the Dragonborn, which brought about an… interesting discussion. By the end of it, everybody understood her reasons for leaving for her non-Companion related quests. No longer did they give her a hard time.

At least she killed Alduin over a year ago, which was one less of a problem.

All that was left were million others, with the Civil War being at the top.

The blond Nord sighed as she sat on the old stone stairs. A couple of days ago she got a request from excavators that found an ancient tomb and wished for her to clear it. They wanted to study the old markings and artifacts, but there were draugr in the way. The request came via a representator, who came to the Jarl to ask for an audience. A scowl made its way to her lips as her blue eyes darkened. Of course, they had to do it in front of the Jarl himself. Jarl Balgruuf made it no secret that he had great expectations for her. At that point her fucking _honour_ was on the line!

Persephone shifted and winced as her left ribs groaned in protest. From the feel of it, compared to past rib injuries, they were only bruised. Thank the Gods for that small miracle. It certainly felt like at least one broke when the area got hit via a powerful swing of a sword. If she could, she would have used a healing charm. There were no more healing potions as they were used up during the fight. The issue was that a lot of magic was used up as well. The only thing she could do now was rest for a bit.

Her electric blue eyes gazed upon the scene in front of her. Bodies upon bodies of draugr scattered across the floor, tables and coffins. She couldn't believe she managed to kill them all and lived. She thanked her healing potions and magic for that. There was a point when she had to resort to using destruction magic, even though it wasn't her thing. However, her ebony bow and arrow weren't enough. There were simply too many of these bastards.

Now, logic dictated that she'd need to find a new companion. One that would help with the fighting. But the second she thought about it, she pushed it to the back of her mind. Too many thoughts and emotions passed through her to even consider that option to be open.

Persephone sighed then spit a bit of blood to the side. On shaky legs, she got up to move towards the giant chest that sat in the corner. Her long, scarred fingers tugged under the lid. With a grunt, from the weight and pain in her ribs, she managed to pry it open. Dust poofed in her face, which caused her to cough. Her eyes watered a bit, but she paid no mind to it. Her mind was on the contents that were inside. They were an ebony greatsword, a couple of shirts, a pair of boots and a generous amount of money.

The Nordic woman picked one of the shirts up and saw runes stitched into the collar and sleeves. It was the same thing with the other piece of clothing, only with different runes. Closer inspection and trying to remember some lessons from the College revealed two things. The first shirt made healing magic stronger and the other gave extra protection for the wearer. The boots were normal, a standard old pair. The sword was incredibly heavy, but she could carry it once she healed up.

Overall, she could make quite a bit of money by selling most of these. Minus the boots, but that would change once they were enchanted. Though, she might give one or two things away. The greatsword came to mind along with a certain Companion twin Nord. That thought made her smile a bit, which softened her darkened expression. Persephone hoped that he liked it, since he had a simple iron greatsword with him now. Personally, she thought he could use a new weapon. One that did more damage and lasted much longer.

At least she didn't leave this place empty handed. Those excavators could shove their complaints up their asses for all she cared.

It took Persephone no more than half an hour to rest. Once a bit of strength came back, she healed herself and got out of the tomb. Finally, she could head back to Whiterun.

-ooOOoo-

It rained heavily since early in the morning. The raindrops drummed against all the rooftops in a steady manner. It almost lolled everyone in the city to sleep as soon as they woke up for the new day. The wind blew by, which brought with it a chill that made it even less tempting to go outside. The darkness that came with the heavy clouds darkened the city during the day, only for it to turn pitch black during the night. Not even the lanterns brought enough light to brighten the streets.

None of the Companions were outside for the day due to the weather. Not for training nor anything else. Not even Eorlund Gray-Mane dared to go continue his blacksmithing work, as the material would get ruined if he did. The only thing left to do for the group was to try and find something to do. Some lazed around. There were a few that took the opportunity to rest more as they came back from a quest. When the boredom got too much for a couple others, they got into a mock fight. It soon became obvious that it was a bad idea. Now, the ones that fought were placed aside on the benches to heal from the injuries they obtained.

Yeah, the Companions weren't used to boredom.

It was during dinner when things changed.

"Well, look who's back!"

Aela's voiced boomed through the main hall. Farkas looked up from his dinner plate towards the front doors. There stood their commander, Persephone, who looked like a drowned cat. There was a giant puddle of water beneath her. That caused a few of the members to wince mentally. Everyone concluded that it would earn her a lecture from Tilma. However, it was the aura she gave off that caused most to look away. Shivers ran down their spines as it felt like one pissed off dragon just waltzed in.

Farkas wasn't one of those people. He kept his grey eyes on the woman. Yes, her aura ordered everybody to back off. However, she kept a calm outer appearance. Her shoulders were eased downwards. Her back stood straight, like she didn't acknowledge her current sad state. Her usual tight, braided long blond hair was half in her face. Then there were her eyes. The blue electric eyes looked tired and deep in thought. It made him wonder what happened on the quest.

Farkas could do nothing but watch as she gave them an acknowledge nod before heading to her room. Puddles of water were left behind with each step.

The minute the door to the sleeping chambers closed, everybody allowed themselves to breathe.

"Damn, what happened to her?"

"Who knows, perhaps she'll tell us later."

A couple of the members muttered to each other as they went back to their dinner. Vilkas looked thoughtful, occasionally joining in on the discussion. It appeared that for the evening Persephone was going to be the topic of gossip. It didn't escape Aela and Farkas either, but for different reasons.

"She's not going to come up for dinner."

The beautiful red headed Huntress noted as she cradled her tankard. The tall man shook his head in agreement.

"I'll bring her some food later."

He reached for the only clean plate left before stocking it up with some food. His female friend nodded. A small knowing smirk tugged on her lips. Her amber eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I see what you're doing." She purred and nodded in understanding. The male Nord stiffened. He dreaded where this was going. As he looked back at her and raised an eyebrow, all she did was pat his arm. "It's alright, wanting to gain more of her attention. Even though you already have most of it."

Farkas fought down a blush. His grey eyes glared down at her in silent warning.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

That got Aela to bark with laughter, which caused a couple of the other members to turn and look at them. When they saw nothing worth of interest, they turned away. The only person that didn't was his twin, Vilkas. The shorter man heard the conversation so far, which wasn't hard as he sat right next to his brother. A chuckle escaped him.

"Ice brain, don't tell me you need to have it spelled out to you."

Farkas exhaled through his nose in annoyance. Great, now there were two of them.

"I don't see how it's any of your business, brother."

Farkas grumbled as he took a long drink from his tankard, which contained simple ale. Damn, didn't they have anything stronger than this? He'd need it if he had to deal with these two getting on his case. The shorter man shrugged in responds.

"Of course, it is. I need to watch your back while you stumble about looking like a fool."

That made Aela go into another round of laughter. The tall man glared at his brother, as he pondered if he could get away with knocking him unconscious. Once she calmed down, the red headed woman gave him an uncharacteristic soft smile.

"It's not wrong to like her. She's a fine Nord, leader and friend, even if she isn't around a lot. I think you two would be good for each other." Aela admitted. Of course, those thoughts weren't the same when Persephone first stumbled into their lives. A lot can change in two years, which included opinions. "You two like each other. Everybody can see that. So, I'm not sure what the problem is."

Farkas didn't say anything. Not that the others pushed him to, as they decided that they teased him enough. He knew that they were right about his feelings, but what about Persephone's? His friends and brother enjoy teasing him, but they rarely lied. Perhaps he should pay extra attention in his interaction with the Harbinger. If it was true, then it'd be nice to be more than friends.

The dark headed Nord finished the last bit of his dinner, picked up Persephone's plate and left for her room. Nobody said anything nor payed attention, which suited him just fine. The last thing he needed was for them to decide it was a bright idea to follow him.

The walk didn't take long. Soon enough, he found himself knocking on the outer Harbinger door which led to the office. A soft permission answered him, to which he opened one of the double doors and walked in. There she was, sitting in the same spot that the Harbinger usually sat at when business was conducted. A small wave of sadness in memory of the man washed over Farkas. Even though it has been a year and a half, many here still missed Kodlak.

There was an empty chair beside Persephone. Between them was a familiar small, round table that was in the corner. On top were papers and a quill. Farkas didn't say anything right away. He studied the woman in front of him, as she looked different now. She still gave off that aura from before, but she seemed to have cooled off a bit. Enough that it didn't seem like she was ready to bite somebody's head off, at least. Instead, it was a simple warning that she wasn't in a good mood. He thought that it might have helped that she cleaned up. Now mostly dried and out of her armour, she wore a simple, everyday blue dress. An outfit that wasn't unusual of her, as she always wore something similar. Unless it was of official business nature, then her light armour was out. Farkas thought that the simple outfits suited her more. Persephone always looked more relaxed and acted like herself when she wore them. Her straight hair flowed with ease behind her back, completely out of its braid and brushed.

Farkas allowed himself to smile when he saw Persephone lighten up when she saw him and the food. Her tired expression melted away. He placed the plate on the table and sat in the other chair. As usual, it was much too small for him. The wood groaned underneath his massive weight but stayed intact.

"Thank you" Persephone breathed out as she tucked right into the meal. It has been several hours since she last ate. The only thing on her mind was to get back to Whiterun, to her home. "I was going to come upstairs, but…"

Persephone hesitated, unsure of how to explain her current state. The grey eyed man gave her a single nod.

"We understand. It must have been a long journey."

"It was more than a long journey."

She grumbled after she munched then swallowed one of the baked potatoes. It felt nice to have something aside from meat in her stomach. From the lack of said protein on her plate, it seemed that her companion knew the feeling all too well. After all, even those that adored it would like something else if it was the only thing that they ate for a few weeks straight. Her stomach grumbled in agreement as she broke off a piece of bread and ate that next.

"I had to deal with two groups of bandits on the way there and one _ancient_ dragon. Do you have any idea how hard it is to kill those fuckers? I tried to sneak pass them, but _everyone_ noticed me!"

She scowled at the memories. A newer scar on her right arm throbbed in memory of the ancient dragon. Farkas chuckled. Her luck always amused him as it brought about the most interesting stories. It either worked fore or against her, never in the middle. This made many of the Companions wonder which God or Daedric Prince she pissed off. Some placed a bet that it was a curse of being the Dragonborn.

"You need to work on being quiet."

"I _am_ quiet!"

Persephone pouted. It only made the man smirk more than he already was. That tempted her to grab the tomato on the plate and throw it in his face but paused. That'd be a waste of food. So, instead, she took the said tomato and bit into it with annoyance. She almost cried at the taste of the juice. Gods, she missed all this food.

"Sure, if you call your usual stumping around as quiet."

"Excuse _you_!" She huffed, with her nose turned upwards at the insulting statement. "I'll let you know that I can sneak around undetected."

"And how many times have you succeeded?" No response. A round of laughter threatened to escape him when he saw her pout even more. He gave her a sympathetic grin. "You know, we can always help you with that."

"I know…" Persephone sighed. She ran her fingers through her still slightly wet hair. "But with so many demands sent my way from all over Skyrim, I don't have the time."

Her blue eyes darkened. The pair of eyes moved from her food to the half-written letter that got pushed to the corner. Nostalgia of her previous life entered her heart. At least she could write letters back home, letting her family know she was still alive. Every time she saw the familiar handwriting of her parents and older brother, it brought some comfort.

Farkas frowned at the expressions on her face and emotions shown in her eyes.

"You know… you don't have to say yes to all of them."

Persephone snorted. The spell of one-too-many-thoughts that got cast upon her broke. She turned her full attention back to him. Her body leaned backwards until it touched the back of the chair. Food forgotten.

"Farkas, I don't think even Vilkas can weasel his way out of most of them."

That statement amused him. Farkas almost wanted to see it, if for nothing more than entertainment. After all, it wasn't everyday that the 'smart' twin would be stuck in a situation where his brain couldn't save him. That'd be especially true if it was in diplomatic manners. Wait… now there was an idea. One that would get him killed if Vilkas ever found out and got his hands on him, but he could take him on if needed.

"Why not? He can deal with them while you… I don't know… head on a trip somewhere."

Farkas shrugged. Now that he thought about it, when was the last time she had time for herself? She always was off somewhere, doing whatever it was that she did.

Persephone looked at the air between them with thoughtfulness. Could she do this and get away with it? The first part sounded like her backup plan in case she died prematurely. She already wrote down in her Harbinger's will that she wanted Vilkas to be the next commander. The duo didn't always get along, especially after Kodlak's death. But now they tolerated each other well enough.

_Perhaps this could be a test run for him, if me going on a trip even happens._ The Nordic woman thought.

"Alright, I'll bite. _If_ such a thing is possible, where would I go?"

_There _lay the problem. _Why_ would she go back out into the wild with no destination in mind? That'd make her an even bigger fool than she already was half the time.

Farkas smirked slyly. Persephone's heart raced in nervousness, anticipation and something else, something deeper. A blush threatened to turn her cheeks bright red. Damn. Couldn't he smirk in a less attractive manner? Hopefully, with his werewolf hearing, he didn't look too deep into why her heart raced. The last thing she wanted was to be asked about it and try to explain it away. That was a disaster waiting to happen.

Farkas did, in fact, noticed. It made his smirk widen even more. It seemed that his brother and friend didn't lie to him about the attraction. He felt quite pleased with the reaction. His grey eyes hovered over her for a few moments before flickering towards the letters. It wasn't a secret among the Companions who the letters were from, though she never talked much about it.

"Why not go see your family?"

That made Persephone look at him with surprise before it turned into caution. Her eyes turned sharp, unsure of how to feel, much less think. Visit her family? That possibility flew out of the window the minute it came out that she was the Dragonborn.

"You're pulling my leg…"

She declared.

"Why not?"

He asked, like it was a simple question with a simple answer.

"Farkas, if I take a horse it'd take several days before I reach the village. If by foot, at least a week. Then there's the amount of time to stay and the trip back. I don't have time with all of _this_\- hey!"

While the blond woman spoke, she pointed out at the mountain of letters and scrolls on her work desk. All of which were from all sorts of individuals from across Skyrim that wished for her help. The dark headed man rolled his eyes. He got up, grabbed an armful of them and stuffed them into a small wooden chest that rested beside the desk. Not once did he take notice of the ramblings that belonged to the woman beside him. With the last letter in there, he shut the lid. His massive body stood between it and her. By this point, she got up as well. Her fists rested on her hips as she glared at him.

"What do you think-"

"I'll go with you, if nothing more than to make sure you go through with it. Let me finish." Farkas raised a hand, palm outward to signal Persephone to stop before she said something. "Persephone, I may not have the smarts of my brother. But even I can see that you are miserable and need a break. You should be allowed to see your family. Let Vilkas deal with the requests. They can wait."

The glare lessened, only to be replaced with conflicted emotions. One was of hope. Could the promise be made into reality? _Of course, it can, you idiot. If anyone can make a promise and keep it, it's Farkas_. A voice snarked at her within her mind. Persephone nodded mentally in agreement. She trusted him. But that was where the conflict came in. The last thing she wanted was for her rotten luck to get him killed out there. She hoped that the lack of protest won't come back and bite her in the ass later.

Finally, she moved from her spot. With one step closer, she stood on her toes and placed a small kiss on his cheek. It reddened in responds. Wide grey eyes looked down at her smaller figure. Her own cheeks coloured a bit as well, but she didn't break eye contact. Nor did her smile disappear.

"Thank you"

Persephone said softly. Farkas couldn't get any words out. The kiss caught him off guard. Now he feared that if he tried to say something, he'd look like a bumbling fool. The woman didn't seem to be offended by the lack of verbal response.

"How about we'll set off in a couple of days? It'll give me time to rest and for the both of us to pack up whatever we need."

She suggested. He gave a jerk of a nod, his eyes averted hers. A strangle sound came from him as he tried to clear his throat.

"Yeah… yeah, that sounds good. I'll… uh… I-I'll let you rest… then."

Without waiting for a response, he left the office section. Persephone could only smile and close the doors behind him.

_Perhaps, today wasn't a bad day, after all_. They both thought.

-ooOOoo-

By the following morning, all the Companions heard the news of _a_ trip. Nobody knew what the trip was about, but they knew a few things. First, that for the first time in a long time, Persephone took someone with her. Second, that person was none other than Farkas. It took barely an hour before everybody hounded the giant Nord for information about where they headed. Either he ignored their presence altogether or disappeared off. The latter action happened more often, when anyone wanted to tease him. Of course, nobody but Aela had the balls to do any of this to Persephone. It was only a miracle that the Huntress got out of those conversations alive.

It was on the third day that they were finally ready to set out. The sun was barely seen over the horizon when the duo stepped out of the city.

Before leaving, Persephone made sure to slide a note with a couple of keys underneath Vilkas' door. The keys were for the office space and the chest that held all the letters and scrolls. The letter told him that she placed him in charge temporarily. She briefed about the chest and its contents but emphasize that she wanted him to look through everything.

Persephone felt disappointed. She almost wished to be around long enough to see the look on Vilkas' face once he read the letter.

Her dark blue eyes looked at her companion. The greatsword on his back barely visible, as its ebony metal almost blended into the darkness around them. Her face brightened once more, happy that the man switched his previous weapon to her gift. The steel greatsword was left behind, forgotten.

Farkas didn't notice it. His mind was too busy getting to the city stables to get the two horses they purchased yesterday. For himself, he picked the largest and strongest horse. One that wouldn't tire from carrying him for long distance with little breaks. The dark headed Nord looked over his horse's saddle towards Persephone. Warm blue eyes looked into a black pair as she stroked her horse's nose. Her horse contrasted his strongly. Where his was dark as the night, hers was light as the snow. The size differences between the two were obvious.

"You ready?"

The words left his lips before he knew it. Without much effort, he got onto his black horse. Persephone copied his movements. After getting comfortable, she nodded in his direction.

"Let's go!"

She announced with excitement before racing off. It took him a moment to realize what she did and got his horse to do the same. It didn't take long to catch up.

They continued to go in a fast pace for awhile with Persephone taking the lead. They cut through the cold atmosphere. The chillness brushed against their cheeks, turning them a tiny bit red. Not that they felt it. After all, their race typically wasn't affected by the cold. The wintery months were being left behind as the warmer weather slowly started to creep. There no longer was snow in most places, except in the usual locations of the mountains. Puddles of water and mud replaced it, which brought about a coldness of its own. Every once in awhile the hoofs ran through them, which splashed wet dirt onto the riders' boots. Looking at the sky, there were a few grey clouds, but not enough to cause rain. That could change at any moment, since it was the wet season.

At the crossroad near Whiterun, Persephone took them down the southern road. That would lead to a few other crossroads. Soon, they slowed down to the point where the horses simply walked.

Persephone's chattery voice filled the silence between them. Farkas let her do most of the talking, as he kept half of his attention on their surroundings. It never hurt to be cautious. Winter was the most dangerous season to be out and about, obviously. The lack of food were the main reasons. Wolves would not be that major of an issue now in comparison to a month ago. Bandits, necromancers and such, stuck close to their caves or camps no matter the season. If they didn't get too close to them, they should be fine. He wasn't sure about dragons though.

"How often do you face dragons out here?"

Farkas interrupted his companion, suddenly curious about the beasts. He never fought one, so wasn't sure what to expect. That unnerved him. He fought many things in his time with the Companions. He wasn't used to fight something he never faced before. Persephone looked at him in surprise at the question. She was rarely, if ever, asked that. She turned to face ahead, and a hum escaped her.

"Hm… it depends. If I need to go through caves or roads that are near or in the mountains, I tend to run into them. That tends to be a lot, now that I think about it." She muttered the last part to herself. Farkas smirked with amusements at how annoyed she sounded. "For the most part they make their homes on the tip of the mountains. Though, I'm not sure why. The only two occasions I've seen them is when they come down for food or because somebody trespassed their territory."

"Mainly you"

"Oh hush"

Farkas chuckled as he shook his head. Persephone tried to hide a grin.

"What's the best way to fight them?"

Persephone thought about all the past fights with dragons. Ones where different weapons were used and how much damage they landed. Her calculated blue eyes landed on his new ebony greatsword.

"I prefer avoiding them altogether, since all of them are hard to kill and can seriously hurt you. Some more than others. But I get what you mean. It depends on the fighter and their fighting style, for the most part. You don't really use a bow and arrow like me, so long range attacks wouldn't work for you. Since you have the sword, I'd suggest trying to go for the chest, stomach and wings. But for the love of Gods, don't get trapped underneath them while at it. Avoid the head and tail at all cost. I've seen them swallow men up in one go and crush another with their tails. If you are too close to either, try and dodge the best you can."

She left the words hanging in the air. There was an unspoken message in the end. Farkas heard it loud and clear. _It's all up to you from there_. Damn, from the sound of it, those were one of the few beasts he'd rather not face. Right up there with the giant spiders. The thought of the arachnids made him shiver with disgust. If he had to, he'd fight them with the dignity of any respectable Nord. However, if he could avoid them, he would.

"What, scared of dragons?"

Persephone verbally poked at him with a teasing smile. His grey eyes narrowed at her.

"Of course not. After all, I have you with me. All I need to do is throw you into their direction so you can tell them to go away."

He snarked at her and watched her gasp. In responds, she tried to kick him at the side, but missed and almost fell off. Her horse whined with protest at the sudden action. Farkas barked with laughter at the poor attempt.

"You **_ass_**!"

"What? You can't growl at them to go away?"

"How about I throw you in their direction and see how you fare!"

Persephone threatened. An image appeared in his mind. She, with great struggle, tried to lift his massive body different ways with the intent to throw him afterwards. Only problem, she kept failing spectacularly. At one point she even fell over. This made him howl in laughter. Tears threatened to escape his eyes. The woman next to him huffed. It suspiciously sounded like she tried to cover up her chuckles.

"Okay… perhaps not throw you. But I'll definitely find a way to throw their attention off of me and onto you."

He rolled his eyes and looked at her with fondness.

"You'll miss me if I get eaten."

Persephone blushed, knowing that he was right.

"Yeah… I would."

She mumbled so quietly that most would miss it. Farkas enhanced hearing picked it up. He didn't bother to hide his bright smiled, more than glad to get something like that out of her.

A horrifying roar pierced through the air. It felt like there was an earthquake that shook the ground and themselves. For Farkas, being the only werewolf, groaned as the pain in his ears became almost unbearable. The wolf inside tried to claw its way out to face the beast that dared to come too close to them. Beside him, Persephone groaned for a different reason. Only now she realized they were close to a mountain. Not a moment too soon, a big shadow flew over them. This confirmed her fear.

She turned to her companion once more and asked weakly:

"Ready to face your first dragon?"

-ooOOoo-

"Here, the soup is done."

Persephone announced.

The duo sat in an empty cave. A small campfire sat in front of them with more wood at the side. Rain, once more, decided to come for another visit and prolong its welcome. It was heavy, making it almost impossible to see through it. It didn't help that it was night, which meant that going out there was suicide. They were lucky to have noticed the change of weather before the storm came. It took them awhile, but they found this cave. They then gathered up the necessities to make their night here as comfortable as possible. The cave wasn't overly huge. It was big enough to hold everybody (including the horses) with no issues. It helped that there was a small pond further inside the cave, which gave them all a source of water. Something that the horses appreciated deeply, as they drank much from it after a long and terrifying journey. At least none of them had to deal with the cold biting wind. Only its howls were heard. It blew from the other direction of where the entrance of the cave was.

Persephone poured some of the soup into a bowl and handed it and a spoon to Farkas. The man took it from her hands slowly due to being tired. She didn't let it go until she knew it was safe in his hands. The female Nord didn't say anything about it. Both were sore from their fight with an elder dragon. Yes, an _elder_ dragon. Not as bad as an ancient one, but still not good. She blamed her sorry excuse of a luck for the encounter. It wouldn't have mattered to her, as she fought plenty of their kind. However, it was the first dragon that her companion ever saw, much less fought. Between the two, as she predicted, he fought the closest to the dragon. This resulted in him getting most of the beatings. Persephone did her best to support him from the distance with her bow and arrow, but it could do so much. The last thing she wanted was to shoot him by accident. There was some comfort in knowing that she provided him some advice on how to fight them. He could have been far worse off otherwise.

Farkas was a tough guy, nobody could deny that. His body build allowed him to take on more hits than most with less injuries. He had a lot of power to support whatever fight he found himself in. The most terrifying thing about him was when he fought with his greatsword. With one slice, he could cut a person or creature in half. It was something that made her admire him. In a weird way that only a Nord woman could. It was thanks to him being such a good fighter with his greatsword that he hurt the ancient dragon, a lot. Far more than he would have if he turned into a werewolf on the spot. His beast form was good against humanoid beings, but probably did little damage something as fierce as a dragon.

Farkas realized this too. He admitted to her later that he had to fight the wolf within at the same time as the dragon. That would have been a disaster if he didn't manage it.

One thing for sure, Persephone felt relieved that she gave him the ebony to fight with. If he had his steel one, it'd have broken not long into the fight.

Still, she felt horrible that he took on so many hits. There were especially some serious burns that he got from the fight. She was glad that she studied the healing and potion arts. It took a few health potions to clear away and close most of the wounds. The healing spells did the rest, but mostly focused on the burns. The last thing they needed was for them to get infected. Between the fight and additional trip, it was clear that he was extremely tired. There wasn't much they could do about that. His body only needed to rest, so stamina potions weren't needed.

Persephone poured some of the soup into a bowl for herself. As she ate, she kept her eyes on the man beside her. Worrisome and regret ate away her heart. He ate his soup with a slow pace. When he finished, she gave him more without him asking. He didn't protest. Instead, he nodded to her with thanks and went back to the food. The duo sat in silence. Neither felt like talking for now.

Only after they finished eating everything did one of them break the silence.

"I wasn't expecting that."

Farkas spoke. His voice, deeper and rougher than usual. Persephone gave him a small, forced smile. She knew what he meant.

"I think you fought well."

He grunted. With the bowl and utensil out of his hands, he moved to remove his armour. It was a good thing that the armour set for the Inner Circle were different from the rest of the Companions'. It took only a few snaps and undoing of some buckles for the chest armour to be removed. Without a word, Persephone helped set it aside, so he didn't have to get up. He gave her an acknowledged nod, thanking her for doing so. Once he was done, he laid down on top of his bedroll. He didn't have the strength to go through extra movements to get in. He was fine with this. His body stiffened for a moment before relaxing. A long sigh escaped his lips, his grey eyes closed to the world.

Even though Farkas' vision was temporary unavailable, he kept his ears open to keep track of his surrounding. If nothing else, then to indicate where Persephone was and that nothing walked in. Only with her staying in the cave, close to him, did he relax more.

Neither spoke again. The washing and clanging of the now clean dishes and pans stopped as they rested in one of the bags. The horses' hoofs and whining quietened down. Nothing but steady breathing came from their direction, fast asleep and oblivious to the world. The rain stayed steady, followed by a howling wind every once in awhile. Persephone's movement stopped when she came back to her sleeping bag. The fire's heat fought off the coldness that threatened to get too close to the Nords. Even though neither were bothered by it.

Farkas felt himself getting dragged into sleep, only to be reawaken. It wasn't unusual for him to be restless. The wolf inside rarely felt calm and always wanted to take part of some fight. It was rare for it to relax, but after especially hard fights, it tends to cool down. Those nights were spent sleeping blissfully. Yet, after the third time of waking up, he realized that something was off. The dark headed Nord felt the wolf rest, like it should. When he checked with his senses in his surroundings, everything sounded the same as before.

So, why did it feel like something was off?

_Wait… Persephone isn't sleeping. _Grey eyes snapped open in realization. He was shocked that he didn't realize it right away. Her breathing was still the same from before, when he knew she wasn't asleep. He craned his neck upwards to the side. The muscles there protested but were left ignored. The fire was still strong as before, with pieces of wood thrown in at some point. Persephone sat with her knees close to her chest and arms around them, tugging them under her chin. She hasn't notice him being awake. Her usual deep electric blue eyes looked dull as they stared into the fire. Her mind was somewhere else.

Farkas took his time to sit up. A groan threatened to escape him, but he held it back, not wanting to seem weak. It was only after this movement that Persephone seemed to snap out of whatever hypnotism that she was under. He ran his fingers through his hair. A loud yawn escaped him.

"What are you doing still up?"

He asked, his voice rough with sleep. He looked outside and saw that the rain started to lighten up. The silhouettes of the trees in the forest started to take shape. It was still next to impossible to tell what time it was, so there was no point in trying.

"Huh?" Persephone voiced in confusion. Several times she blinked at him. The dullness within them slipped away and replaced with alert. "I… I didn't notice the time."

She answered then grimaced, aware of how pathetic the excuse sounded. Farkas' eyebrows knitted together as he frowned.

"Is something the matter?"

He asked with concern. This quiet, distracted state was unusual of her. The woman didn't answer right away. She fidgeted in her position before wincing as she stretched her legs to the side. The stiff muscles only confirmed that she sat in the position for too long.

"I was thinking about today." She finally answered, so low that it could be mistaken for a whisper. Her eyes refused to meet his. "I was thinking that it might have been a bad idea to go visit my family."

It took a bit too long for the man to make sense of the words. His somewhat sleep-like state made it difficult. When it finally clicked in, the issue was gone. He was now wide awake and staring at her with surprise. Not even a few days ago she almost blew at the seams with excitement at the mere suggestion of it. What made her regret it?

"Why?"

Persephone sighed.

"You guys always laugh about my rotten luck, because you barely had to face it. It isn't a joke for me. It seems that no matter what I do, monsters, animals, bandits and just about everything else comes after me. You just experienced it yourself. You could have _died_. I should have told you more about what I tend to face. I should have-"

"Persephone, enough." Farkas interrupted her with a firm tone. He wasn't about to listen to her berate herself anymore. "I knew what I was getting myself into. We teamed up together before, remember?"

Persephone finally turned to face him. Her eyes serious and filled with frustration.

"But you didn't have to face a dragon!"

"No, I didn't." He agreed. His tone became softer. "That's because we were indoors. Now, we're outside. That is why I asked you about dealing with a dragon. It's thanks to your advice that I managed to survive the encounter from earlier."

Persephone didn't say anything, but he saw from her eyes that she didn't believe him. This made him sigh. He leaned over and placed his hand over hers before curling around it. Her hand was much smaller than his. Most would say delicate, but the rough skin texture spoke of a different story. Something that didn't belong to a high-class woman with an easy life. Instead, it belonged to a woman that knew of a hard life. A bit of redness brushed against her cheeks. She looked at him with a mixture of shyness and nervousness.

"Farkas…"

"You think too much."

She scowled.

"No, I don't- wha- mpf!"

Farkas pulled her towards him and firmly kissed her on the lips. Nobody said he was a romantic guy, now did they. No, he and his brother were complete trash at it. Everybody knew that and he was sure they wouldn't be surprised once they hear of this. He took note that her lips were dry and there was a small, unnoticeable scar in the corner. But they felt nice against his, so he enjoyed this quite a bit.

The kiss didn't last long. Farkas pulled away and carefully watched for a reaction.

Persephone stared at him with shock. Her face resembled strongly to that of a tomato. Her mind halted and she wasn't sure how to get it to work again. How was she supposed to react? She had guys show interest in her in the past, but this was the first time when the feeling was mutual. She watched as Farkas slowly smirk. That got her mind working again.

"You- you _ass_!"

She growled and slapped his chest. Farkas barked with laughter. His grey eyes twinkled with amusements and warmth.

"Then I'll be your ass."

Persephone huffed and crossed her arms. At this point she made no move to get out of his arms.

"I heard about your poor skills in the romance department, but that was just stupid."

"But I didn't hear you say no."

Damn, he got her there. The bite and slight anger behind her scowl lessened. There was no point anymore in hiding her feelings. Not when he made it pretty damn obvious about his. So, she decided to throw caution into the wind. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she rested her forehead against his.

"No, I didn't. As long as you'll have me."

Farkas brightened at the revelation. He moved in to steal another kiss, but then stopped and groaned. His body protested, as it announced with clear displeasure at how much he moved. His new lover realized it and rolled her eyes with fondness. She pulled herself out of his arms and helped him get into the bedroll. The man couldn't do anything except admit defeat and give his body the rest it craved for.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow, now rest."

Persephone softly told him after she made sure that he was comfortable.

"You need to sleep as well."

Farkas reminded her. He didn't want her to stay up any longer. They had a long journey ahead. The last thing they needed was for one of them to be deprived of sleep. She sighed and nodded in agreement. It sounded like a fantastic idea, now that she thought about it. Without another word, she got into her bedroll and snuggled under the soft fur. Her eyelids grew heavy, but the smile never left her lips.

Perhaps being a Dragonborn wasn't such a bad thing, after all. It led her to this moment, in the end.


End file.
